Selling my Homeseer-driven home - how should I do this?

[dmiller]

I agree with "rip it out" but with one exception. Z-wave directly associated light switches that work without a hub can stay IMO. Having a house that requires a DIY hub for basic operation is a mistake. While Control 4 would probably stay in a resale, even these older high end commercial systems can negatively affect resale value.

Good design assumes catastrophic system failure that could take days or weeks to fix. A good HA design both is rational for the current household and is easily removable in the future.

My dozens of Homeseer dimmers are going nowhere when I eventually sell my house. But my dozens of sensors and other miscellaneous will be removed as the house is prepped for sale.

I keep adding cameras for fun. But no one wants to buy a house in a low crime neighborhood that has a dozen cameras. That is creepy.

I sold my last house with many X10 dimmers and switches still installed. I'm sure the new owners have no idea that they have HA dimmers.

[Pete]

One Homeseer plugin author passed away a few years back. He lived near by and I would help him a bit with his plugins. His passing was sudden. Initially his wife asked that I keep his Homeseer server running which I did for a short time. Over the years she asked me to remove the automation. She was not a computer person.

Her children went off to college and she decided to sell the family home as it was just a tad too much for her to handle. A few days before the closing she asked that I remove all the automated switches in her home. The buyers did not know anything about automation and they requested pending closing that all of the automated switches be removed.

It took two days to remove and replace the switches. I did have issues in that many switches were installed in the attic and basement ceiling. The basement had been remodeled and the electric was DIY'd and really didn't follow standards which had me pulling some wire in conduit at the time.

Today most realtors / new home purchasers really do not have a clue about automation other than maybe using Alexa / Google devices.

BTW wife has told me if I should pass before her she will unplug all of the automation.

[drhtmal]

The average home buyer is probably not a home automation enthusiast like we all are. The pool of buyers that would want a home automation system is much smaller than the pool of buyers that just want a house. Additionally, a home automation is an added expense that many buyers would probably not want to incur.

[Dweber85rc]

Typically they say anything nailed screwed or glued stays with the house when you sell it. don't know if there is a straight yes or no. I would say that if it were to be left the only way I would leave my stuff there would be with a specific clause in the buyers agreement releasing me from any liability.

[Gadgetman!]

Yes, aything nailes, glued or screwed in should stay.
That is, anthing that's installed on the day of viewing, or is listed in the prospect.

I remember when the downstairs neighbor died. The relatives removed the dishwasher(bolted in under the sink), the central vacuum system, and even the 400lbs woodstove.
(I don't think they even closed the hole in the chimney, and left that for the new owner to plug or to fit a new stove. And that in an area where a 'separate heating, not tied to the grid' is required in the building code)
Those are all items I would expect to be left in place.
The guy who moved in didn't realise what the hole in the wall in the shed was(the vacuum exhaust) so he converted the shed to a guest room.
The current owner has no idea that the apartment ever had a central vacuum, and I'm the only one who knows where the exhaust ends.
(All the apartments had the plumbings for this fitted. Then it was up to each owner to actually install the vacuum system)
I may tell her about it the next time I see her, and at least before she tries to fit one.

If you remove HS or an other automation system, you need to leave the building 'operational'. All switches and lights should work. Heating, also.
If your bathroom thermostat can run autonomously(it really should be able to), just disconnect it. If it can't, replace it.

My roller blinds(433MHz version, I'm a slacker, so they're not finished,yet) can also be controlled by a separate remote controller. It's not even difficult to grab one, install a battery and recode the motors to accept orders from the remote instead of the HS setup.
The same with my NEXA(also 433MHz) AC outlets. I can either remove the receiver, or code it to work with one of the many remotes I have.

It would no longer be 'Home Automation', just 'Home Convenience', but that's really the first step on the slippery slope that leads to setting up a HomeSeer system...
'You know that outlet way under the desk, that's so hard to reach? Just switch it off with this remote'...

[Madcodger]

I've sold two automated homes over the past ten years, and in both cases it was fine. BUT I didn't leave HS as the backbone in either, nor would I recommend it.I both cases security was via an Elk, and most automation (including that which stayed) was via an ISY. And I removed almost all programs (events) as they were primarily for our personal convenience. That left a platform of a UL-listed, highly capable security system that could function indefinitely as only that, if that's all that was desired. Switches, while expensive to replace if they went bad, were all Insteon in those cases so they could be programmed without a central controller if desired. For the ISY, I had a discussion with the new owners about their needs and desires, and in each case they (OK, the husband) decided to "play around" with it. The first owner stuck with it for several years but never really turned into an enthusiast. The second sale was more recent but he seems to really be getting into it although that sale was last summer, so time will tell.

I have had to provide a little bit of support in each case, but most of it was truly enjoyable. With the first owner, he would text me from time to time and we'd have a quick call to walk him through something. No big deal. In later years al ost all questions were for advice (I'm thinking of buying a ___, do you think x or y is better?" They sold that house a year or two ago, though, and I've no idea about the current state of things. For the second home, it's close to our "winter" home and I have really enjoyed getting to know the new couple that bought it. As mentioned, the husband is getting sucked i to the hobby a bit, and we've had some fun conversations. He asked about some event programming, so I walked him through the basics and then he texted me his success at setting things up. It's now at the point that he saves any mail the post office accidentally delivers, and I stop by to pick it up. We compare notes, maybe have a drink, I offer a little advice, etc., With a little luck, he'll be a friend for a long time. Yes, we've had a switch go bad and, after never losing a PLM there, it went bad a couple of months ago. He just ordered a switch and replaced it himself, and I had a new PLM as a spare so I just gave it to him (he was ready to buy it and I told him to wait). Again, no big deal and even a new friendship. Then again, we sold a house to a couple we didn't know almost 20 years ago, and they're still good friends of ours (no automation in that one, though). So, this doesn't have to be scary or hard if you've followed code and been responsible, and your buyer has some common sense.

Now, after all that info, I can say that I would NOT leave Homeseer in a house as the controller. It's a great piece of software, but I have found it FAR less stable than either an Elk (of course) or an ISY. It can often do far more, of course, but thst creates vulnerabilities. So,... I'd generally have no problem leaving hardware (switches) if they can be programmed and just left to function without any "brains". Same with an Elk and even an ISY, if the owner was OK with taking it over. But due to "uptime problems", I would never, ever leave Homeseer.

[Rvtravlr]

I sold a home in 2007 when not much was moving. HA consisted of UPB switches, some scripts to control dampers so that upstairs and basement living areas were within a degree or two of one another (a big thing), and a lot of exterior and interior lighting.

One of the biggest reasons the house sold was the automation. The buyers would come over to the house in the evening and enjoy the lighting changes based on motion and time, etc.

The home was sold as-is in the contract. I left a Win 2k server with HS2 and HSphone on it.

Never had the buyers call after closing.

[outbackrob]

With less than a handful of exceptions, all our HA switches control devices as they would if they were normal switches. All the Central Scene automation is just to make life easier. (Instead of having to walk around the house and turning on different back porch lights, one double tap turns them all on.) The rest of the HA is in an attempt to save money, conserve resources, or out of sheer laziness! If I turned off HS today, we would basically be where we were when we first moved in. So, to answer your question, It would depend on how you have set up your HA system..... …...and whether you plan to automate in your new place? And at ~$45 a pop for new switches, an electrician charging $40 each to remove and replace them may or may not be worth it....

HA CAN really be a selling point. Had a WINK system at my mom's house. She and her friends LOVED that she could tell Alexa to turn everything off and all the lights would turn off and the doors would lock. I think HST could be too sophisticated for many.